Spherical Shell Resonance and Applications as a Model for the Human Skull

Presenter Information

Adam Tangocci

Document Type

Oral Presentation

Campus where you would like to present

SURC Ballroom B/C/D

Start Date

21-5-2015

End Date

21-5-2015

Keywords

Skull, Resonance, Shift

Abstract

Previous research performed by students and faculty at Central Washington University has shown that changing pressure inside a spherical aluminum shell can shift the resonance frequencies of the shell. This property may be applied to the human skull and allows for a non-invasive method of measuring intracranial pressure. To more closely resemble the environmental conditions of the human skull, a new mount was used with a smaller point of contact at the base of the sphere and the change in pressure, compared to previous experiments, was decreased by at least an order of magnitude from over 40 to less than 1 pound per square inch. Expected frequency shifts due to the smaller pressure changes are less than 0.0001 percent; therefore, extensive testing was done to quantify and identify sources of experimental uncertainty. Results indicate that the current experimental design cannot produce reliable measurements of such small frequency shifts. Specific sources of uncertainty and possible improvements to the experimental design will be discussed.

Poster Number

60

Faculty Mentor(s)

Andrew Piacsek

Department/Program

Physics

Additional Mentoring Department

Physics

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May 21st, 8:30 AM May 21st, 11:00 AM

Spherical Shell Resonance and Applications as a Model for the Human Skull

SURC Ballroom B/C/D

Previous research performed by students and faculty at Central Washington University has shown that changing pressure inside a spherical aluminum shell can shift the resonance frequencies of the shell. This property may be applied to the human skull and allows for a non-invasive method of measuring intracranial pressure. To more closely resemble the environmental conditions of the human skull, a new mount was used with a smaller point of contact at the base of the sphere and the change in pressure, compared to previous experiments, was decreased by at least an order of magnitude from over 40 to less than 1 pound per square inch. Expected frequency shifts due to the smaller pressure changes are less than 0.0001 percent; therefore, extensive testing was done to quantify and identify sources of experimental uncertainty. Results indicate that the current experimental design cannot produce reliable measurements of such small frequency shifts. Specific sources of uncertainty and possible improvements to the experimental design will be discussed.